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'Burn Notice' Creator Matt Nix On Ending A Seven-Year Series

You know you’ve caught the public’s attention when you wind up getting spoofed on Saturday Night Live. That’s what happened in 2010 when SNL ran a skit called “What Is Burn Notice?” It was a fake gameshow that asked people to tell the host anything they knew about Burn Notice, and contestants pretended they had no clue what the show was. At the time, USA Network’s Jeff Wachtel said, “Once Saturday Night Live makes fun of you, how can you not commit to extra seasons?”

It also helped that the spy drama, created by Matt Nix, was the number one show on cable at the time. For the last seven years, fans have tuned in to watch Michael Westen, a spy who was “burned,” or let go, by the U.S. government who goes home to Miami to use his Special Ops training to help people in trouble. It’s a spy show that sends the occasional light-hearted wink to its audience. Evil Dead’s Bruce Campbell plays the Hawaiian shirt-wearing Sam Axe, and comedian Patton Oswalt had a guest stint in 2012 so you know Nix and his team aren’t taking themselves too seriously.

They shot 111 episodes in Miami over the years (same as Miami Vice), and the show has received Emmy and WGA nominations, and a Gracie Award for supporting actress Sharon Gless. After its premiere this June, The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Burn Notice had 4.32 million viewers, up 24 percent from its 2012 fall opening. Tonight, fans will be hashtaging #FinalBurn and reluctantly saying sayonara to Westen and his crew.

The day before the finale, Nix took some time to talk about the show’s success, its passionate fan base, and how he knew it was time to wrap for good.

Forbes: How do you feel, the day before your show’s series finale airs?

Nix: It’s interesting having a series ending because it ends over a very long time. The first ending was the last writers room, which was months ago now. It’s very odd; when a show runs for seven years it’s your life. I was talking to my youngest son, who was born during the pilot, and he has only known me as the Burn Notice guy. As of today I’m not the Burn Notice guy anymore. I guess I always will be in a way, but it’s different.

Forbes: As the creator, how did you know when it was time to say goodbye? Was there anything in particular that cemented the decision?

Nix: It’s not as if I called USA one day and said I wanted to end the show; it was a decision that emerged over time. We discussed it with the network and the studio and the actors. We talked about where we were and came to the conclusion that it was the time to do it. There were several factors, both financial and regarding the actors. You have a choice when you’re ending a show. A series can end a little earlier than it might have, and you still have a little left to do. The other choice is that you end it a little too late when you’ve run out of gas. I would rather be in the former category.

Forbes: The show has a huge, passionate fan base who watch every week and who are active on Twitter and FacebookFacebook. Obviously your perspective is a unique one since you’re so close to it, but do you have any sense of what really clicked with the audience?

Nix: It grew in a way I never expected when we started. It became a family show. People connected to the characters and to their connections with each other. It was like a little family of people that cared about each other and looked out for each other. I heard fans talking about the fact that they watched it with their own families, so it crossed generations. This era of TV has seen a marked increase in darkness that I think reflects the anxieties we’re having. Those anxieties have been reflected in U.S. television’s one-hour dramas because it was an anxious time. I think Burn Notice stands in counterpoint to that because even in its darkest moments it has kind of a sunny outlook and it’s a world where people do care about each other. I think you need both.

Forbes: Social media has a big influence on shows like Burn Notice, as far as fans connecting and interacting with the show. Did the influence of social media change over the course of the seven year run?

Nix: When we started seven years ago social media was really just Facebook. In the early years I would go onto discussion boards but I stopped doing that because reading all of that can really affect you and ruin your day. If you go on and read, “Worst episode ever” you’re in a terrible mood and you can’t write for the rest of the day, so I stopped.

Forbes: Are there any particularly funny interactions with fans that stick in your mind?

Nix: The funniest thing is when people sometimes get angry and they see me as this person that is torturing their friends. I don’t get into debates with fans, but certainly in regard to Michael and Fiona’s relationship they say I’m breaking them up and they’re upset about it and I’m torturing them, which I guess is a sign that we’re doing something right.

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